Table 1.
Subject characteristics.
| Exposed | Unexposed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No fibrosis | Asbestosis | Healthy controls | |||||
| N | 66 | 19 | 28 | ||||
| Age (years) | 64.5 | (6.2) | 68.5 | (6.0) | p = 0.015 | 62.2 | (6.6) |
| Time since the beginning of the exposure (years) | 43.6 | (0.9) | 46.2 | (3.4) | p = 0.464 | ||
| FVC (% pred) | 88.8 | (15.6) | 83.7 | (10.8) | p = 0.194 | 99.5 | (10.8) |
| FEV1 (% pred) | 88.5 | (14.2) | 81.8 | (12.0) | p = 0.071 | 96.7 | (11.6) |
| D L,CO (% pred) | 106.4 | (17.4) | 87.1 | (16.8) | p < 0.001 | N.A. | |
| IL-6 (pg/ml) | 3.2 | (2.4–4.3) | 3.2 | (2.0–5.0) | p = 0.728 | 2.1 | (1.6–2.8) |
| CRP (μg/ml) | 0.93 | (0.37–1.99 | 1.20 | (0.60–2.94) | p = 0.282 | 0.47 | (0.27–1.00) |
| Adipsin (ng/ml) | 893 | (777–1069) | 1022 | (950–1224) | p = 0.004 | 908 | (757–1045) |
| MMP-9 (ng/ml) | 28.1 | (22.4–36.9) | 54.7 | (32.8–70.9) | p < 0.001 | 30.3 | (25.4–38.9) |
Values are presented as mean (SD) or median (IQR) when appropriate according to the distribution of variables. FVC: forced vital capacity; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 second; DL,CO: diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide; IL-6: interleukin 6; CRP: C-reactive protein; MMP-9: matrix metalloproteinase-9; N.A: not assessed. p values were calculated between asbestos-exposed subjects without fibrosis and asbestos-exposed subjects with asbestosis using unpaired t-test or Mann–Whitney U test when appropriate.